Adjustable hammer for automatic pistols

ABSTRACT

An adjustable hammer for automatic pistols particularly of the Colt .45 type which because the gun was designed for Military Combat Use the trigger pull was so heavy that it was almost impossible to shoot the gun accurately. The hammer is a standard shaped hammer having two drilled and tapped holes as well as a sleeve sweated in. One screw travelling through the sleeve acts as an adjusting screw and the other is a locking screw. The adjusting screw acts directly against the sear and controls the amount of sear - hammer notch engagement.

United States Patent Silva [15] 3,683,537 [451 Aug". 15, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE HAMMER FOR AUTOMATIC PISTOLS [72] Inventor: Mariano Silva, Route 1, Box 141 A,

Deming, N. Mex. 88030 [22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1971 [2| Appl. No.: 104,624

[52] US. Cl ..42/69 R, 42/69 B [51] Int. Cl. ..F4lc 19/00 [58] Field of Search ..42/69 B, 69 R, 65, 41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 35,067 4/1862 Allen ..42/65 2,927,390 3/1960 Lewis ..42/69 R 53,955 4/1866 Crowell ..42/65 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS l,l29,l65 9/1956 France ..42/69 B Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner -C. T. Jordan Anomey-wilkinson, Mawhinney & Theibault [57] ABSTRACT An adjustable hammer for automatic pistols particularly of the Colt .45 type which because the gun was designed for Military Combat Use the trigger pull was so heavy that it was almost impossible to shoot the gun accurately. The hammer is a standard shaped hammer having two drilled and tapped holes as well as a sleeve sweated in. One screw travelling through the sleeve acts as an adjusting screw and the other is a locking screw. The adjusting screw acts directly against the sear and controls the amount of sear hammer notch engagement.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 15, 1972 INVENTOR MAP/4N0 5/1. V4

filial/WW Hu Am /11% KDKMMMMM ADJUSTABLE HAMMER FOR AUTOMATIC PISTOLS An object of the present invention is a modified hammer construction which reduces trigger pull from 14 to 4 pounds by regulating the amount of sear hammer notch engagement and which may be varied without the necessity of stripping and disassembling the handgun.

A further object of the present invention is a simple hammer modification which permits vernier regulation of trigger pull and does not require an expert gunsmith to disassemble the .45 and painstakingly stone the hammer and sear to accomplish a lighter trigger pull which when once accomplished is irreversible unless new parts are installed.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a regulatable hammer which may quickly be adjusted to make the gun a target match pistol having a very light pull to increase shooting accuracy and which permits the handgun to be returned to issue or combat condition which requires a much heavier trigger pull by making a simple external adjustment.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

ln the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a Colt .45 Automatic Pistol showing the hammer of the present invention installed.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the hammer of the present invention showing the adjusting screw and locking screw.

Referring now to the drawings, designates a Colt .45 Automatic Pistol having a hammer ll constructed in accordance with the present invention. The hammer l1 pivots about a hammer pin 12 and has a hammer notch 13 in the front lobe 14 while the rear lobe 15 is at the base of the hammer shank which terminates at the top in a cocking piece 16. A sear 17 pivoted about a sear pin 18 controls the release of the hammer under the action of a scar spring 19 when the trigger 20 is pulled rearwardly.

Passing downwardly from the top of the front lobe 14 is a threaded and tapped bore 21. A sleeve 22 is sweated in an passing through the sleeve 22 is an adjusting screw 23 which may have a small allen socket or screwdriver slot at its top or exposed end. A threaded bore 24 passes from the rear lobe 15 to the front lobe 14 and communicates with the bore 21 such that a treaded locking screw 25 having an allen or screwdriver socket at its rear or exposed end may be caused to engage against and lock the adjusting screw 23 at its desired setting. A neoprene plug 26 may be inserted in the threaded bore 24 which under the pressure of locking screw 25 will cause deformation and provide a friction lock against the adjusting screw 23 without injuring the threads thereon.

When it is desired to reduce trigger pull from combat or issue" value of 14 pounds to match value of above 4 pounds, with the hammer 11 against the firing pin as shown in FIG. 1, with the neopreme plug 26 under pressure from locking screw 25, the hammer l l is then fi r zi Z3 filn ailn ilieiifii $5 556% '95 hiffi inserted to raise or lower the adjusting screw 23 to regulate the amount of sear hammer contact through the sear notch so that the desired amount of pull may be obtained. This can be tested several times until a satisfactory setting is attained. The locking screw 25 need not be loosened because the deformed neopreme plug 26 allows adjustment to be made with tension applied to the lock screw 25.

While I have shown and described my invention as being particularly adaptable for the Colt .45 Automatic it is not so restricted since this concept may be employed with any firearm, pistol or rifle so long as the firearm has an exposed or external hammer and the hammer and sear have a lock work system similar to the Colt .45 Automatic.

What I claim is:

1. For use with a firearm having a trigger mechanism and a scar actuated thereby; a hammer comprising a pivot and sear notch, adjustable sear engaging means carried by said hammer forwardly of its pivot and being movable toward and away from the sear to regulate the amount of trigger pull necessary to drop the hammer and locking means carried by said hammer and positioned above said pivot to engage and retain the setting of said adjustable sear engaging means.

2. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ad- 40 justable sear engaging means is an externally threaded projection receivable through a threaded opening in the hammer forwardly of the pivot thereof and having a length to contact the sear to vary the amount of trigger pull necessary to drop the hammer.

3. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locking means is a threaded member receivable within a threaded opening in the hammer above its pivot and in position to engage and lock said adjustable sear engaging means.

4. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising deformable locking means between said locking means and said adjustable sear engaging means to retain said sear engaging means. 

1. For use with a firearm having a trigger mechanism and a sear actuated thereby; a hammer comprising a pivot and sear notch, adjustable sear engaging means carried by said hammer forwardly of its pivot and being movable toward and away from the sear to regulate the amount of trigger pull necessary to drop the hammer and locking means carried by said hammer and positioned above said pivot to engage and retain the setting of said adjustable sear engaging means.
 2. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjustable sear engaging means is an externally threaded projection receivable through a threaded opening in the hammer forwardly of the pivot thereof and having a length to contact the sear to vary the amount of trigger pull necessary to drop the hammer.
 3. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locking means is a threaded member receivable within a threaded opening in the hammer above its pivot and in position to engage and lock said adjustable sear engaging means.
 4. A hammer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising deformable locking means between said locking means and said adjustable sear engaging means to retain said sear engaging means. 